I just read a thread about rating/analyzing pitchers by different statistics, such as K/, BB/, etc... and wondered what you guys use to rate hitters? Just seems like so many variables, that you have to take into consideration, it takes alot of reasearch, such as home park, avg, sb, etc...I'm wondering how to rank batters for points lgs, that does not penalize for K's, or use avg. I know about position scarcity, but within a position, is total bases a good way to rank batters? Any thoughts?

jake_twothousandfive wrote:I probably put the most weight in contact% and OPS. I think you can tell a lot about a hitter from those two.

I agree with this. While there are a abundance of stats to weed through to see the overall picture, these two numbers are easy to calculate and understand. They'll give a very general idea of what a hitter is capable of. Typically, a contact% 80% or above is a positive thing.

I like looking at K rate and BB rate to determine if a hitter is a safe pick or not. A guy like Jose Lopez has posted good numbers the last two years but he has a terrible BB rate (resulting in a terrible OBP) and one long prolonged slump could get him benched on a team that likes OBP and defense (which he does not have). He's screaming potential bust to me this year.

But for the most part this doesn't mean much in fantasy. One easy thing to look at regarding a player is their track record and how last year's BAPIP and HR/FB% compare vs their career. These two numbers should allow you to determine whether or not they can maintain last year's production.

jake_twothousandfive wrote:It's necessary to look at everything you can find to get a clear picture. But the things I typically look at first are OPS, ISO, HR/FB, LD%, and contact rates.

I probably put the most weight in contact% and OPS. I think you can tell a lot about a hitter from those two.

And what is considered a good or bad Contact%, HR/FB% and LD%?

LD% - League average is probably somewhere between 19-20% so anything above that would be good. Most people associate a high LD% with higher BABIP (and thus BA in general). Players who consistently hit a high percentage of LDs are putting their bat squarely on the ball often.

HR/FB% - Above 12-13% is good. You also have to relate this number to their corresponding FB%.

Contact% - An overall contact% above 80% is good.

"Don't take anything for granted, because tomorrow is not promised to any of us." ---Kirby Puckett